Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-20

Presently a Chicago paper came in
among the Billiards. exchanges, coutaln-
log an elaborate special article OR "East-
ern Culture" in which an abundance OF
fun was poked at the MAw for not know
ing til { Carlton was the bard OF Kitchen
Crystal Soap. Then l saw my chance.
wrote an editorial headed "The Prostitu-
ton of Genius" in which scored the de-
plorabie condition Of public taste wbica
permit ed great author to descend to
the level OF writing advertising verses al
thu benest Of base commerce. 1t took ten
dollars of FIELDS fifty to yet this article
published in the New York Literary
okewer. But IL was money we'll in vested.
A hair dye man offered me 500 to write
him Quatraiu. This dechned. Then an
other soap man came along aud 1 played
him against Field, AMI compromised by
accepting $500 from Field, on condition
tnat | should not write for auy other soap
than his.
While was rejecting on this stroke OF
fortune, reporter OF the Boston Weekly
Il ,tnete called TO request an interview.
received him In my landlady's tack
parl0r In pink cardigan jacket, red
neoxtIe, alligator pumps aud velvet knee
breeches--all of which articles OF APP
parel had purchased with view OF cul-
tivating the eccentric. The reporter was
evidently awed at tirst sight. He tlmidly
asked for some auto6logr2phtcal facts
which l invented and furnished with
feigned reluctance. Had | written any
thing within the last few days. 1es-s
tribe or two-mere soiutillatiOns from the
forge OF my fancy-Gphemeral perchAnce,
but passionate-"tole hRrmoniees" i
called them.
Would it be asking too much TO see
themt"
Oh, no! Then went 70 my room and
brought down my soiied cuff with the
poem written on IL.
81 usually jnt down my ideas ON my
linen," remarked carelessly.
Isaw look Of absolute veneration steal
into that repOr Gr's face as he made an
elaborate note ~ This ecceutricity. He
cleverly realized t0nt he WAS in the pres"
ence OF genius.
Then he took a copy OF the poem. 1t ran
as follows:
Oh, abysm Of drudgot defiance!
Fearful frlgidness OF fiction!
Dreaming iynasties OF du!lness.
In er tCCiOn's ethgv!
Wherefore Spurn the spiked solace--
Sbillant and soaSed soIace-
1f the iutermlnabie Ego sOul2
Thu :he Rpng. ever vibrant.
Call the ciashing OF coutu5iOns,
Evermore era-ing effort
From the tablets of the what,
While the neve" ceaSiug echo
Rolls Il remnant down the reason,
Flingug forward fast aud fister
Down the wintrv waste OF wishing
Widely wCndroua wi-hes--
What2
As the reporter finished copying the
poem he mopDed his brow with . hand
kerchief and looked helpless.
Then he Tnurmured tnatit was certainly
sublime conception.
"Woud you mind" he said, "io
case the H sthete should be questioned
would you mind letting me kn0w-er-the
point?"
-! smiled affably.
"YOu are at liberty to saw" replied,
''that the point Of the poem lies solely In
the application"
Then he said "Ob," aud / remarked
''GoOd day." and he left.
The Boston Weekly .Esthete OF the fol.
lowing week contained The poem in full.
Then the press of tns whole country
| broke out in preparation OF critical
notices.
The Buffalo Spread Eagle said that the
phrase "intermInable Ego soul" clearly
| referred TO Niagara Falls, while the New
! Orleans Spy insisted that 1t referred to
the Mississippi ietties. From San Fran
| cisco came wall over the pessimism re.
vealed in that terrible "WhatW with fts
interrogation poiut at the close. All the
Boston papers announced that the poets
meaning was perfectly clear. Uis per-
spIcuity was Emersonian. The Phiia.
delphia literary notices with one accord
hailed the poem as the most
powerful plea for protection to native
manufactures published In the present
century.